by Two Girls Go Green
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So, today, as I was randomly browsing Planet Green (something I do quite frequently), I came across this interesting post on a truly sick (and I mean that in a good way, as in "wicked awesome") gadget: a solar cooker.

First off, I wondered, what the heck is a solar cooker? Second off, I wondered, how does it work? Third off, I wondered, where the heck can I get one?

Let's break it down.

According to the great and powerful web-guru-thing Wikipedia, "A solar oven or solar cooker is a device which uses sunlight as its energy source. Because they use no fuel and they cost nothing to run, humanitarian organizations are promoting their use worldwide to help slow deforestation and desertification, caused by using wood as fuel for cooking. Solar cookers are also sometimes used in outdoor cooking, especially in situations where minimum fuel consumption or fire risk are considered highly important."

The Wiki article continues, "The container of food is placed inside the solar cooker, perhaps elevated on a brick, rocks, metal trivet, or other heat sink, and the solar cooker is placed in direct sunlight. If the solar cooker is entirely in direct sunlight, then the shadow of the solar cooker will not overlap with the shadow of any nearby object. Foods that cook quickly may be added to the solar cooker later. Rice for a mid-day meal might be started early in the morning, with vegetables, cheese, or meat added to the solar cooker in the middle of the morning. Depending on the size of the solar cooker and the number and quantity of cooked foods, a family may use one or more solar cookers."

"The solar cooker is turned towards the sun and left until the food is cooked. Unlike cooking on a stove or over a fire, which may require more than an hour of constant supervision, food in a solar cooker is generally not stirred or turned over, both because it is unnecessary and because opening the solar cooker allows the trapped heat to escape and thereby slows the cooking process. If wanted, the solar cooker may be checked every one to two hours, to turn the cooker to face the sun more precisely and to ensure that shadows from nearby buildings or plants have not blocked the sunlight. If the food will be left untended for many hours during the day, then the solar cooker is often turned to face the point where the sun will be when it is higher in the sky, instead of towards its current position."

Makes sense to me. Where can I get one? (You can make them yourself, but I have a feeling I'd mess it up...) Treehugger's selected some great options here, my personal favorite is the SOS Sport because it's made from recycled pop bottles!

Sweet device. Frugal, eco-friendly, and cool. The trifecta of awesomeness. And, yes, I so want one.